Recommended blogs

My blogging schedule's been a bit disrupted by computer problems, so instead of the article I had planned for today here's a brief list of recommended blogs...

This month has seen the opening of a new blog, Discovering Dad, which is run by Terry Gilliam's daughter Holly. So far it's been updated almost daily, and fans of the cult animator look to be in for a treat. Holly's even managed to dig up those iconic roses...

Back in January 2011 Jan-Willem de Vries set up a blog devoted entirely to Harold Mack. This little-known animator is remembered primarily for directing the George Moreno-produced Bubble and Squeek cartoons - themselves pretty obscure - in the late forties; but as de Vries makes clear Mack also worked at other studios, including Halas & Batchelor and G-B Animation. At the time of writing the blog has only two posts but they comprise probably the most throrough biography of the man ever written. It's good to see that figures on the margins of animation history have enthusiasts willing to pay them their dues.

As far as more recent work goes, Dundee-based animator Vicki Haworth runs a small blog, mainly for her concept art, which is worth a look; see also the blog of Sketch Group Scotland, to which she belongs. Iona Whytok has some nice work on her blog Up the Ziggurat, and I also enjoyed the blogs of Helen Piercy and Tori Davis.

And finally, the production blog of Neil Boyle's recent cel-animated labour of love, The Last Belle, is very thorough and well worth a look.

More blogs from the British animation community

Another look through the blogosphere...

First off My Medicated Cartoon Life, run by a blogger who identifies himself as "Bitter Animator", definitely deserves a mention. Combining art with autobiography and musings on the state of the animation industry, the blog is a melancholy and thoughtful look at the frankly lonesome profession that is animation.

The prolific Hyebin Lee has a very compact blog showcasing his animation and design work. Story artist Matt Jones covers not only his own work, but also the art of Ronald Searle and the caricaturist Gary.

Blogs run by character artists are amongst the animation weblogs that I most enjoy reading; some top examples include the blogs of Krystal Georgiou, Kei Phillips, Andrew Bent and Matt Partridge. Qianqian Liu's blog provides an engaging mixture of characters and concept art; some more gorgeous concept art can be found at Kenneth Anderson's blog. Andy J. Latham's weblog has a heavy emphasis on life drawing and observational work; this is also a regular fixture at Wesley Lewis' blog.

And finally, Rachel Thorn combines samples of her art with thoughts on her career in the industry.

Animators' blogs

For a very brief period there was a box on this blog with a list of links to blogs run by various UK-based animators; I decided to scrap it since there were just too many to cover in such little space. Here's a brief round-up of what I came across...

Almost certainly the most prolific blogger of the lot is Oscar Grillo, who maintains no less than six blogs himself with a seventh run in collaboration with Chips Hardy. There is also an eighth blog showcasing his art, run by Rubén "Chivo" González.

Other established animation names in the blogosphere include the Brothers McLeod (an eye-opening look at just how prolific the pair are); Slinky Pictures (covering a wide range of material - animation, live action and illustration) and Uli Meyer (not much about animation, but plenty of gorgeous illustration).

Eyeballs and Fishlips was run by the crew of Creature Comforts America. Like the series in question the blog had a short lifespan, being active for just over a year, but it's still worth a look for the amount of background information it provides.

It's not uncommon for an independent animated film to have a production blog; examples include The Astronomer's Sun and Mother of Many. Both are fascinating first-hand accounts of the animation process; following the projects from conception to their eventual award-winning acclaim is an uplifting experience.

Student films sometimes have production blogs as well. Rhiannon Evans' BAA-nominated Heartstrings has a charming one, and my friend Julie Garrod - currently working on an animated installation - has put together a fascinating blog that moves its emphasis away from visual art and towards soul-searching.

Some students have made blogs covering their entire courses, such as National Film and Television School student Bianca Ansems' blog Like A Blue Bird. On the subject of new talent, Aaron Foster's The GagaMan (n) Is In is one of the flat-out funniest animators' blogs I've seen.

There are plenty more blogs out there, of course - stay tuned for a follow-up post.